Attachment for automobiles.



APPLICATION FILED FE B. 2. i918.

Patented Nov. 4,1919.

f 1 R1 H NW N; WW m M W m WITNESSES M. C. WERTZLER. JTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES. AFPLlCATION FILED FEB. 2| 1918.

1 ,320,5 1 '7, Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTORIIE Y8 ea ers.

specification.

MATHIAS CORNELIUS WERTZLER, 0F HMIQEY,

-ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1918. Serial No. 521.53%.

To (ii/3107mmitmaycoaccm:

Be it known that I, Mn'rrrnxs C. Wnnrz- Inn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hailey, in. the county of Blame and State of Idaho, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Automobiles, of which the following is a My invention is an improvement in attachments for automobiles, and has for its object to provide an attachment of the character specified, to permit 'the automobile to run on snow, wherein runnersare provided upon which the frame of the automobile is mounted, and wherein driving wheels are arranged at the rear of the frame and connected to the motor to cause the same to drive the driving wheels to propel the. vc hicle forwardly.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side Viewof the improved attachment;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view;

' Fig. 3- is an enlarged side view of the driving wheel, with parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View ofone of the driving blades;

1g. 5 is a central transverse section of the said blade.

Thepresent embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with the. frame 1 of a motor vehicle, the runners tal'iing the place of the wheels and being connected to the front and rear axles. The front runnens each consists of a body 2 of suitable shape and which may be of wood, and a reinforcing or facing strip 3 of metal forming; a shoe for the runner. These runners 23 are mounted on the spindles 4c of the front axle 5, and the runners 23 are con nected at their front ends by a cross rod 6. Brace rods 7' are connected with the front ends of the runners and with the opposite spindles, in the manner shown more particularly in Fig. 1 and the vehicle is steered in the usual manner by swinging the front ends of the front runners. -Other runners 8 are connected with the rear axle, the said runners being mounted on the spindles, and each runner is provided with a reinforcing facing or shoe 9.

Coil springs 10 are arranged between the frame and the front ends of the runners 8 9, and sprocket wheels 11 are arranged on the ends of the rear axle. These sprocket wheels are connected by sprocket chains mechanism is provided i direction element 21 on the frame pivoted on the frame and has i:

T the said edge of 12 with sprocket wheels 14 of the driving wh said wheels being prov d ranged in alinement in h The shafts 14 are men spacing rods 15, which, at ends, are journaled on the a shafts and wheels to be i mechanism comprises a 16 mounted on the axle -o braced by chains 17 aga" are connected by a rod 18 ends.

A cable 19 is connected with th r of the radius rods 15 in presently described, and the upwardly overa direction ele ley 20 supported by the cross ro r o standards, and downwardly beneath sin r Wardl to an ad'ustin iever 22 nlsm 23 cooperating with too 24 on the frame. The rear 1.9 is connected to the rear ends of the rods 15 by means of branch cables will be evident'that when the le in'the proper direction the dr will be raised Or lowered. ii], wheel's consists of the sl spaced disks 2'6 secured to series of driving blades, to ranged between the disks. blades consists of a body facing plates 28 which, a are curved outwardly, a strip 30 of IUbl)l*.1"=01 the between the outer edges the plates extending beyond i the body 27, as shown in l? w o. Rods 31 and 32 are passed longitudinally of the body near the opposite edges thereof, and by means of the rod 31 each blade is pivoted between the disks near the peripha. eral edges of the said dish. The ends c. the rod 32 extend through shaped sluts 34 in the disks, and these slots are so ar ranged that the blades may be adjusted out wardly and inwardly by swinging the 32 in the slots. The ends of the rod ,outside, of the disk are engaged by nuts 33 to hold the blade in adjusted position, and the facing plates 28 are connected at their inner edges by, the mechanism shown'in and 5. 'The said mechanism comprises central and end connections. Each connection consists of astem 35 secured to one leaf 4 and a hinge 36 secured to the other, one of the leaves being connected .to the other faci g plate andthe other leaf having an openmg for receiving the stem '31. A wing nut. 37 is threaded on to the stem to hold the .parts together. The wing nuts in the end connections are at the opposite sides of the length ofthe radius rods 15, to permit the blades 'from the wing nuts of the central connection. The tread portion of each blade. extends beyond the peripheral edges of the disk 26, and it will beobvious that the angle of the blades may be varied by loosening the'nuts 33 and swinging the inner ends. of the blades. The slots 34 have as their centers. 1

Turn buckles 39 are interposed in the sprocket chains 12 to be tightened. These turn buckles are of usual construction, consistin of adouble nut which. engages the.

' threa ed ends of the sections of the rod. A

pair of rollers 40 is arranged betweenv the rear runners 8+9, the said rollers being mounted on a shaft 41'Wl1iCl1 is journaled at its ends in supporting arms 42 pivoted at their u per ends on the frame. A weight contro ing shoe 43 is arranged between the trolling the said link having "at 1ts upper end a grip front runners, the said shoe being mounted at its front endon the front axle, and a conlink 44 is connected with the shoe,

for convenience in operating the same. I -In use, the driving wheels drive the vehicle, obtaining their power from the rear axle, and by means of the lever 22 they may be adjusted to suit conditions.

the rods 31 The rollers serve topa ck the snow so that p "the propelling wheels have a better engag- '40- mg surface. The shoe '43 also .serves the same purpose and in addition assistsin tak- I ing the. weight off the front runners.

I claim: w

- 1. Mechanism of thelcharaeter specified 45 comprising runners adapted for. connection with the spindles of the axles of a motor vehicle, and drive wheels arranged in rear of the vehicle and having a con nection with the rear axle, saidswheels bein 'ito on the frame, and means;

mounted to swing for raising and'lowerin'g" the said wheels,

each wheel comprising a shaft, radius rods. ournaled on the frame at. one end and s'upporting the shaft at the other, a

disks secured to each. shaft near t 6' ends. thereof, blades having ajtreadextending beyond the peripheries of the disks, and means for varying the angle. of the blade with. respect to the shaft. i j f 2. A driving mechanism for a motor sled, comprising a 'shaft,"whee1s journaled on the shaft, radius rods fournaled on the axle the shaft being journa ed in the opposite-ends of the radius rods, means for raising and lowerair' of '55 extending bea 

